adminThe Korean Under-20 World Cup team, which has been impressing with every game, will face Italy in three days for a spot in the final. Four years ago, Lee Kang-in was named MVP after leading the team to the final, but this time around, captain Lee Seung-won has been equally impressive.
Lee Seung-won, the captain of the Kim Eun Joong-ho, scored the opening goal in the first game of the group stage to defeat France, and then went on to lead his team to an unbeaten run as a ‘special assistant’.
At every corner or free-kick opportunity, he delivered a ruler-like kick to a teammate’s head, assisting Park Seung-ho’s equalizer in the second game against Honduras as they came back from the brink of defeat, and Choi Seok-hyun’s winners in the round of 16 and quarterfinals, both of which started with Lee’s right foot.
[Lee Seung-won/U-20 World Cup captain: I told (my teammates) to go in sharply because I’m going to put it in strongly when the corner kick goes in, and I think they were able to get into position well, so it was easy for me to put it in with my head again].
With one goal and four assists, Lee has five offensive points in five games, approaching the tournament’s MVP Lee Kang-in’s performance with two games still to go.
His work rate and dedication to the game are reminiscent of Park Ji-Sung in the past, so much so that some have called him a “captain,” a mix of Lee Kang-In and Park Ji-Sung.
[Lee Seung-won/U-20 World Cup captain: “I think (the coach’s) words, ‘Let’s come out with no regrets,’ really hit home and motivated us].
Our team arrived in La Plata, the venue of the semifinal, on a FIFA charter flight three days before the final.
We played a 120-minute grueling match in the quarterfinals and have one less rest day than Italy, so we’re focusing on recovering our stamina.토토사이트
[Kim Yong-hak/U-20 World Cup striker: It’s not without physical strain, but we have three days off now, so we’ll take three days off and prepare well for the next game so we can win].
The team will start training for the match against Italy tomorrow (July 7) and will try to make history by reaching the final for the second time in a row on Friday.